José Mourinho has admitted he expects Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham to be in the Ballon d’Or conversation after doing away with a tactical shift that plagued his time under former managers Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.
After two strong years under Carlo Ancelotti, the 2025–26 campaign was a bruising one for Bellingham. A return of eight goals and five assists in 40 games is by no means poor, but fell well short of expectations for a player who had contributed to a total of 66 goals across the two previous seasons.
